June, August Hottest in Cuba since 1951

Havana, Sep 14. -Cuba sweated through its hottest June and August since 1951, and the forecast is for this year to be the hottest worldwide, according to a Monday report in the newspaper Granma.

August had extreme maximum and minimum temperatures, very significant figures for this month, the article said.

The Casablanca weather station recorded the third-highest maximum ever, 35.7 degrees Celsius, a tenth of a degree less than the levels recorded in 2009 and 1998.

Also, that same station recorded the fifth-highest minimum temperature for August, 26.9 degrees.

According to the Institute of Meteorology, the weather is hotter and more extreme because the average temperature has risen 0.6 degrees Celsius in the last four decades, and summers are longer and winters are shorter.

At the same time, droughts are longer and more frequent, and the first decade of the century has seen an increase in the number of powerful hurricanes.

The sea level has risen 2.14 millimeters annually, according to figures recorded by the sea station of Siboney, in western Havana.

According to official figures, the five hottest years in the world have been, in decreasing order: 2005, 1998, 2003, 2006 and 2009. (PL)